Inverness, especially where we stayed, looked a very neat, attractive town with a castle and many great looking buildings. We didn't really explore much of it as we were keen to visit Culloden, the site of Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat and the end of the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745. This was the last battle fought on United Kingdom soil and the loss brought about the end of the clan system when the English banned the wearing of the kilt and broke up many of the old estates. Even the playing of bagpipes was frowned on (and probably still is today occasionally). The battle itself lasted barely an hour but resulted in over 1,500 Jacobites killed in a battle common sense tells us that the highlanders should have avoided, but such is history eh? The memory of Culloden and its brutal aftermath for the highland clans is still a rallying call for many today - note the 45% Yes vote in the recent referendum.
Just a rough paddock but once the scene of a brutal battle
The Inscription reads" The Battle of Culloden was fought on this moor on 16th April 1746. The graves of the gallant highlanders who fought for Scotland and Prince Charlie are marked by the names of their clans.
Straight after Culloden Moor we headed for Fort George, a perfectly preserved, and still operating, fort which guards the approach to Inverness along the River Ness. Built immediately after the Jacobite uprising it controlled the region and was never attacked.
Our stop for the night was the delightful little fishing town of Lossiemouth situated at the mouth of .... you guessed it ... the Lossie River
The battle itself lasted barely an hour but resulted in over 1,500 Jacobites killed in a battle common sense tells us that the highlanders should have avoided, but such is history eh? The memory of Culloden and its brutal aftermath for the highland clans is still a rallying call for many today - note the 45% Yes vote in the recent referendum.